Ordinary Heroes
by Asori
Summary: There was a long silence, only broken by the distant noises of the lazy, late-night traffic of Mission Creek. Somewhere nearby an owl hooted, adding its voice to the music of the night for only a fleeting moment. "It must be really cool to be a hero. I wish I was a hero," Leo said quietly, striking up the conversation again. Adam sighed, saying "I wish I wasn't."


**AN: Hi everyone, I'm back with another one-shot, this one set during the second season of _Lab Rats._ Also based off of a song, this one is loosely tied to _If Everyone Cared_ by Nickelback; it is a beautiful song, and I encourage you to check it out as you read this. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own _Lab Rats_ or any of the characters, just the plot.**

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Adam sighed, readjusting his hands, which were leisurely folded behind his head. His eyes darted all around as he tried to take in all of the stars in the heavens above. Some were bigger and brighter than others, some twinkled, while others moved. If someone smarter were there, they might disdainfully point out that some of them were merely satellites, but Adam didn't care. They were the same as stars as far as the oldest was concerned.

A light breeze swept over the bionic, brushing his face and tussling his hair. Up here on the roof, he was exposed to the whims of the weather.

Adam returned his focus back on the stars, still finding their beauty breathtaking. Some might call him simplistic, but if there was anything Adam considered himself, it was happy. It wasn't hard for him to take pleasure in the small things, and he liked that about himself. He wished other people could be like him too.

The oldest looked behind him at the sound of a small squeal and scuffling footsteps. He saw that Leo was cringing at how much noise the window had made. "I swear, that window is out to get me!" the younger boy exclaimed at a low volume as he made his way over to his older brother.

"It follows you?" Adam asked in genuine surprise and concern, sitting up a little.

Even in the dark, the oldest bionic knew that his youngest brother was rolling his eyes as he said "It's just an expression, Adam."

Adam didn't understand how that could be a facial expression, but he had heard that line enough times to know not to question it. He settled back down, and Leo sat down next to him.

"What are you doing out here?" Leo asked casually.

"I like to come out here and watch the stars," Adam replied simply.

Leo nodded, saying "It must have been even cooler to see them when you were actually up there in space." The longing and envy in the younger boy's tone was obvious.

"Kind of, but we didn't get to just sit and look at them."

There was a long silence, only broken by the distant noises of the lazy, late-night traffic of Mission Creek. Somewhere nearby an owl hooted, adding its voice to the music of the night for only a fleeting moment.

"It must be really cool to be a hero," Leo said quietly, striking up the conversation again. "I wish I was a hero."

"I wish I wasn't," Adam sighed.

Leo sat up, looking directly at the oldest bionic, whose eyes had not yet wandered beyond the stars. "How can you say that? You guys do the coolest stuff and save people! Being normal is no fun."

Adam shook his head. "I don't want to be normal either."

The younger boy frowned. "You're not saying you want to be evil… are you?" His tone was of disbelief and held a hint of fear.

"Leo, do you even know me?" Adam asked, his turn to sit up and stare at his little brother. "Of course I don't!"

Leo sighed in relief, saying "Good. You had me worried." At that, the two laid back down and looked back up at the stars.

The brief silence that ensued was broken by Leo saying "I still don't understand, though. If you don't want to be a hero, a villain, or even normal, what _do_ you want to be?"

"I don't know," Adam shrugged. "I just don't want to have to be a hero."

"Why not?"

"Well think about it – if people lie and steal and hurt other people, then I need to be a hero. But I wish I didn't need to be."

"Ohhh," Leo said in comprehension. "I get what you're saying. If this world weren't so screwed up, you wouldn't need to save anybody. You want the world to be a good place."

"Exactly," Adam said, happy that someone understood him. "If everyone cared, then no one would cry. If everyone loved, then no one would lie. If everyone shared and swallowed their pride, then no one would have to die."

Leo sat up once more, staring at his oldest brother in shock. "Wow, that was really deep. I didn't know you could be so poetical!"

"I can't," Adam said with a sheepish shrug. "I heard it in a song once."

"Oh," Leo said, lying back down.

"If everyone cared, than me, Bree, and Chase wouldn't have to be heroes," Adam sighed.

"But your grammar would still be bad," Leo joked, Adam only smiling in amusement. They were blanketed in another bout of silence, a comfortable one. The flow of time seemed to escape the brothers, and neither had any clue as to how much time was passing. Neither cared.

"You know, there's still room in the world for heroes, even if all of the people were good people," Leo said, breaking the silence a fourth time that night.

"Really?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, like if there's an earthquake or something – people can't help that," Leo explained.

"I guess you're right," Adam admitted. After a long moment, he added "I guess I am glad I'm a hero. Even if the world isn't perfect, I like to help people and make it a little better."

"I'm glad you're a hero too," Leo said. "I just wish I could also be a hero."

"You are a hero, Leo," Adam said, turning his head to the right to look at the non-bionic. "You've helped us on missions."

"But I'm not a _super_ hero," Leo argued despondently.

"You don't have to be."

"But then I'm just like every other good person out there – ordinary."

"Ordinary heroes."

"But there's nothing special about that!"

"Look at the sky, Leo," Adam said patiently. "If there were only a few stars, it wouldn't be as pretty. Ordinary heroes are as numerous as the stars in the sky, and that's what is so beautiful."

Leo turned his head to look Adam in the eye. "Gee, you're full of surprises tonight! I didn't know you could be so wise."

Adam shrugged bashfully. "I'm not very smart though."

"I guess that you don't have to be in order to be wise."

Adam gave his brother a small smile before turning back to marvel at the starry sky, Leo following suit.

"Thanks for being a good brother, Adam," Leo said.

"Thanks for showing me that a world of heroes is a good thing," Adam replied.


End file.
